ABOUT

I am a child of an alcoholic father. Being present for the physical abuse of my mother at the hands of my father, from birth through the age of 9 (when she finally had the courage to leave), I am no stranger to pain. I had a stutter and wet the bed until I was well into middle school. I now understand that the extreme violence in my home and the corresponding trauma to my young nervous system were likely the causes of the stuttering and bed wetting. The blows they took on my self esteem were far reaching, along with the subconscious deep wound of being unwanted by my father. I have spent most of my life feeling internal anxiety and battling depression, even though, by nature, I am a joyful, grateful, optimistic human being.

There is so much more I could share, but the point I want to make is this; as awful as the violence and trauma was, I am who I am today because of it. The adversity of the first 18 years of my life (my mom remarried another alcoholic), created qualities within myself that I may not have developed otherwise. It gave me the gift of empathy. I know what it feels like to be uncomfortable in your own skin. To feel "different" and not know why. To yearn for love and acceptance outside of yourself. The feeling that you are "less than" and the loneliness that comes with it.

At 45 years old, I am STILL excavating limiting beliefs and reprogramming a nervous system that was built on survival. I am a work in progress, but I have come a long way. I was put here to help others. The pain I have lived through will not be in vain. I will use every ounce of it to help others see the value in themselves that took me so long to accept. Every one of us is inherently valuable and it is my mission in life to spread that truth.